Family of SOULs
by CJS51703
Summary: What if Chara and Asriel had lived? Their plan still failed, but they lived? Let's see what happens when the other humans fall down...
1. Chapter 1

*****Hello, everyone! I'm back with a brand-new story after watching some antisepticeye for reasons that are beyond me. This story was actually by the request of one of my biggest supporters, dream1990. So, I just had to do it! Warning: this particular chapter gets pretty bloody and there are mentions of vomiting. That aside, Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara (who I see as female) belong to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Prologue: A Failed Plan**

"MOM! DAD! HELP!"

Asgore and Toriel both heard the cry from different parts of the house. And they both ran to it, for it was in the throne room.

There was Asriel, looking as he had after he'd absorbed the SOUL of Chara, who was dead over his shoulder. He was badly staggering through the golden flower bed. It was as if he was drunk. His left arm looked like a staircase, it was so badly broken. He was cut up and even stabbed a few times, blood oozing from every mark on his body through his robes. He kept his right arm to his stomach, that area especially stained with crimson. He collapsed on the flower bed, Chara falling to the side.

Toriel ran over and spread him out in starfish formation. When she did, she began to heal him quickly. The magic could be seen from her hands as she worked.

"How's his HP?" she asked monotonously, not looking up. Asgore checked Asriel for that. "It's very low, but it's going up. Slowly," he reported. "Good," Toriel said.

She kept healing, moving her hands to the various injuries on Asriel's body. Even when her face began to pale under her fur and beads of sweat appeared on her face, she just held her DETERMINED expression and kept going.

Asgore felt, for lack of a better word, useless. He cradled Chara's cold, lifeless body as he watched, stroking her caramel-colored hair. It took a few minutes, but eventually, Toriel did finish. She was sweaty, exhausted, and out of magical energy. But, she'd done it. And that was what mattered.

"Ch... check him," she said, panting. Asgore did just that. "He's back to a full HP level. Wow," he said. Toriel help up a thumbs-up, wiping her forehead and panting. Asgore very gently put Chara's body so it was next to Asriel's.

When they touched was when it happened.

Asriel melted back into a child. From his chest rose two SOULs; a white one and a red one, linked together. They separated, however. The white one went back to Asriel while the red one went back to Chara. Both children seemed to relax. It looked as if they were merely sleeping.

"Wait a moment. We know Asriel's alive. But maybe..." Asgore said. He pressed his ear to Chara's chest and put his paw against her cheek.

Her face was warm and she had a heartbeat.

Asgore sat back up so quickly that it nearly gave him a head rush. "Tori, our children are alive again!" he cried out in his joy. But when he looked over, he saw that he was pretty much talking to himself.

Toriel had passed out from exhaustion and was sound asleep on the floor. Asgore just looked at the three that were asleep on his bed of golden flowers.

"...well, I would rather have them asleep."

XxX

Asgore found that he was strong enough to carry every member of his family. Individually, of course. He moved them each to their respective beds and went between them all, checking in on them as they slept.

Unsurprisingly, Toriel was the first to awaken, that very night and a few hours after the royal couple had gotten the scare of their lives. "Gorey?" she said, her voice soft.

Asgore went over to her. "Good evening," he said simply. "What happened?" Toriel asked. So, Asgore relayed the events that had happened a few hours prior. "...and then, I brought you here," he concluded.

"Chara and Asriel... have they woken up yet?" Toriel asked. "No. But I assure you, they're only asleep," Asgore said.

Toriel smiled. "Thank goodness."

XxX

It was a day later that Asriel woke up. He was shaky and sore as his eyes fluttered open. It was a struggle, but he got up and went over. "Chara?" he said softly. Nothing. He remembered then everything that happened.

"Our plan failed... but we survived. I'm gonna get Mom and Dad," he said. Although he spoke like Chara could hear him, he knew that he was pretty much talking to himself. He walked out of his room until he found his parents. "Mom? Dad?" he said.

Asgore and Toriel immediately looked up from what they were doing. "Oh, my child!" Toriel exclaimed. She ran forward and gave Asriel a hug. "Ow-ow-ow, I'm still sore!" the young prince cried. Toriel let go. Asgore came over as well.

"Asriel, beyond the soreness, are you feeling alright?" he asked. "I'm a bit shaky, but other than that, I'm fine. Chara's still asleep," Asriel said. That seemed to be a relief to his parents.

However, there was a still the elephant in the room. "My child, what did you do in the human world that caused you to be hurt so badly?" Toriel asked.

Asriel sighed; he'd hoped he wouldn't have to explain this. But, now he did.

"Me and Chara had a plan. She would eat the buttercups on purpose to make herself fatally sick. Then, I'd use and absorb her SOUL to cross the barrier and to fulfill her last wish. That was to see the golden flowers of her home village. So I took her there. But the humans... they saw me carrying her body and they thought I killed her. and they attacked me. I was lucky to get away with my life. Another thing I wanted to do was bring back seven humans so we could use their SOULs to break the barrier," he explained.

He frowned. "But we failed, and both nearly died in the process." He found himself in the embrace of his father.

"Asriel," Asgore said, "do your mother and I a favor by _never_ doing something like that again." His tone was deadly serious.

"You know how heartbroken we were when Chara died. We don't want to lose our children," Toriel said. Asriel nodded, allowing himself to melt into Asgore's hug.

"Okay."

XxX

Two days passed. Chara was expected to not wake up for about a day or two. But three days was a bit of a stretch. So it felt like a miracle when Chara woke up.

It was the middle of the night when she woke up actually. She went over to the bed across from hers. "Azzie, wake up," she said. "Hm..." Asriel hummed, eyes opening slowly. It didn't take long for him to wake up, however, when he saw who else was awake.

"Chara! Thank goodness!" he exclaimed. Chara nodded. "We failed at the plan, didn't we?" she guessed. When Asriel nodded, she sighed. "Crap," she muttered.

"Let's go get Mom and Dad! We were worried about when you would wake up," Asriel said. Chara took maybe two steps before the color drained from her face. "You okay?" Asriel asked.

"The buttercups are coming back up," Chara replied. And, she threw up onto the floor. When she was done, she went back to her bed and flopped down face-first. "Go get Mom," she said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I was planning on it," Asriel said. Then, he left the room.

 *****And, that's the beginning of a brand-new story, everyone! I have probably a few more multi-chapter stories than I can handle, but whatever! I enjoy it. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

*****Hey, guys! This is the official-first-but-technically-second-chapter, right here for your reading. A certain character belongs to me, Asriel, Chara, Toriel, and Asgore belong to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter One: Kindness**

Never let it be said that Jacob Farrah was a strong person.

Well, yes, he had a bit of strength in his twelve-year-old body. But he was a cry baby, which was something you could se in his dark-blue eyes. He had suffered bullying for that, but he put up with that. And he was used to that by now.

Rather, he put his energy that _hadn't_ been forced out of him by bullying into his dream of becoming a professional chef. That's what kept him going; despite how many times he'd been smacked in the face by a bully, no matter how many time he cried before two in the afternoon, he always kept going.

 _"No matter what, you have to stay kind. Even when others smack you down or make you want to hate, you just be as kind as you can and you keep on going."_

That was what Jacob had been told by his mother one evening when he was six, and he'd never forgotten it. And he never would. Even after his life had changed forever.

One evening, he was asleep. He was turning in earlier than normal, having gotten a terrible headache that made him want to, well, cry. His bedroom door was shut until he felt the room start to heat up. He woke up, getting out of bed to open the door.

Sometimes, the door to his room being shut caused his room to heat up. So maybe it was that...

...right?

Still, Jacob got up and opened the door. When he looked down the hallway, he screamed. From his room was a view of the kitchen. And in the kitchen was a quickly-spreading fire.

He ran to the kitchen... at least, to the edge of it. Or he'd risk getting burned. "Mom?! Dad?! Where are you?!" he yelled over the crackling of the flames.  
"Jacob?" That was his mother's voice. He saw that she, and his father, were in the kitchen. Slowly being surrounded further and further by the flames.

"Jacob, sweetie, get out!" Mrs. Farrah called out. "But what about you?" Jacob called back. He had to step back, the flames growing nearer. But he still wanted to see his parents. To talk to them. Because he knew that this was probably the last time he'd get to talk to them.

"Son, I hate to say it, but there's nothing we can do! We just need you to leave!" Mr. Farrah said. He had to move closer to his wife, so close that he had to hug onto her because of the flames that were closing in.

Jacob moved his mouth, but couldn't get any words out. "I-I love you..." he managed in a thick voice. Then, he ran off to his room, his cry baby tears coming back again.

XxX

Jacob had thrown some things in a bag as provisions; his snack stash, the two half-empty water bottles in his room, his wallet, and his phone. Also in the bag were two things he'd treasured ever since he'd been little that were from his parents, and he'd kept them in his room rather than in the kitchen: a stained apron and a Burnt pan. Both were worn, but held too many memories to be tossed. He took his bag and ran.

Once he was far enough from his house, he began to just wander. He didn't know where to go. He had no friends, and his distant family lived too far out of town to make it in a night's walk. No stranger bothered to ask why a tall, thin kid with tears freely flowing from his eyes behind the messy, black hair that was now hanging in his face was walking down the street.

Rather, Jacob was going to plan his next move. A friendless cry baby, he had lots of time to think. And he had to have a plan for everything. So, he just had to go and collect his thoughts on top of the one place he knew he wouldn't be bothered: Mt. Ebott.

Every child had heard the tales: those who went up there never returned. But those were just stupid stories, weren't they? Besides, Jacob wasn't quite in the mindset to thing rationally at the moment, and he wanted some space.

So, he left town and began his trek up the mountain. It was dark out by the time he reached the top. There was a chasm up there; one he made a mental note to stay away from. So, his bag still on his back, he sat down and began to ramble out a plan to himself.

"Let's see here... Aunt Marie is the closest to here, and there's a stop on the bus route that can take me to another bus so I can get out of town. I think I can afford the f-" He froze when he heard the sound of cracking.

The ground was crumbling beneath him. "Oh, crap."

That was all he got to say before the ground gave way beneath him and he fell down.

XxX

Things were blurry at first. Jacob got up off of what he realized was a bed and looked around. He was in a room for two children, it seemed. But what children, he didn't quite know. He still had his bag, which was good. Grabbing it, he got up and left the room to go look around.

He nearly had a stroke when he saw a goat cooking in the kitchen.

"Oh... my... _God,_ " was all he said. The goat-a woman, as he realized-turned to face him. Her expression was kind. "Oh, child! You're awake. When I found you this morning, I was quite scared. I brought you back to my home to rest until you recovered. My name is Toriel, by the way. You name would be?" Toriel asked.

"J... Jacob Farrah," Jacob said, still in shock.

"Well, if you're going to be staying here, then you might as well meet the rest of my family. Please, go to the living room. I'll go bring them here," Toriel said. She got to a stopping point in making what was revealed to be a pie, then left the kitchen.

Jacob just wandered off until he found the aforementioned living room. He sat down on the couch trying to gather his thoughts. "Oh, jeez... okay, no I see why they say no on comes back. Because it's a frickin' petting zoo of goat monsters! But Toriel was nice... maybe she would be good to live with?" he rambled under his breath, trying not to freak out and cry.

He looked up as he saw three others following Toriel. One was a tall goat monster who was bulky with a yellow and bushy beard. Another was a much shorter goat who was evidently a child. The third person was a human girl, to Jacob's relief.

"Jacob, this is my husband Asgore, our son Asriel, and our daughter Chara. Everyone, this was the boy who I brought home that had fallen down Jacob," Toriel introduced.

Jacob waved timidly. "H... hi," he managed, his voice hardly a squeak. Chara sat down with him.

"If you came down here, something really bad happened. Right?" she asked. Jacob nodded. "Got it. So that happened to me too. I was scared at first. Mom, Dad, and Asriel freaked me out at first sight. But they're my family now. They'll take good care of ya, don't worry," she said.

"Yeah!" Asriel assured. Jacob seemed to relax just a little bit. "Okay," he said, still wary.

"So, Jacob," Asgore said kindly, "tell us a bit about yourself." Jacob finally smiled. "Well... I love to cook..."

As he went on talking, he couldn't help but feel a bit better. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here.

 *****And that's the SOUL of kindness! I made two small references in this chapter, so if anyone catches them, then leave them in the reviews and enjoy some imaginary cake. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

*****Hello, everyone! Before I jump into this, I have to say to the person who assumed that they'd caught the references in the last chapter: no, you didn't catch them. But you get points for trying! I have to put a trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and attempts because I know that that's a serious issue. Anyways, most humans belong to me, Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara belong to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Two: Integrity**

Anna Chamberlain had, for as long as she could recall, only had her brother, Jason.

There was a considerable age gap between the two; Anna was ten while Jason was twenty-one. But age seemed to have no difference in just how similar they appeared. They had the same red hair (although Anna's was quite long, and she kept it in a bun), the same bright-green eyes, and the same pale complexion. But Anna lacked Jason's freckles, and was also at least a foot shorter than him.

The two had done well, living in a small apartment. Jason had done everything within his power to support himself and his sister; he had no actual degree in college, so he took online classes while working a decently-paying day job.

Anna attended school like most other ten-year-old children would. However, she had dreams. Dreams of being a ballerina. Jason had been supportive of Anna in that regard, taking her to practices and recitals. She told him everything and he told her... mostly everything. The two had things going perfectly.

The only memory Anna had of her parents was in a picture and a story. The picture was on she kept in her room. It was one of Jason as an eleven-year-old and supposedly their mother, who looked to be heavily pregnant.

The story was one that Jason had told. He had never met his father, but his mother had died in childbirth. He and then-infantile Anna had been passed around from foster home to foster home.

At some point, Anna's memory picked up. She recalled how awful the orphanages and foster homes were and how grateful she had been when Jason was officially eighteen and the two could live on their own. Yes, things were going well.

But not for long...

XxX

"Hey, you did good up there," Jason commented as he sat down in the driver's seat of his car. "Thanks," Anna said, sitting in the backseat. She had just gotten out of a dance recital and thought, personally, that it had gone well.

"I dunno how you can spin like that. I'd probably fall off the stage if I tried that," Jason said. Anna giggled. "I guess that's why I'm the dancer," she said. "Brutally honest, that's my sister. In honor of such a successful and dizzying-for-me recital, I say that we go get some ice cream. Special treat," Jason suggested.

Anna lit up. The two rarely did things considered special treats. So it really _was_ special. "Yes! Thanks!" Anna said happily. "Just don't get it all over your cheeks this time," Jason teased. Anna knew that that as the truth, and was only able to reply with, "You hush."

The two only went on talking for a few moments longer. Until a delivery truck pulled out in front of them, leaving no time for an avoidance. Jason cursed loudly and jerked the wheel to one side in a vain attempt to change the inevitable. Anna's head was slammed into the window.

The car rammed into the delivery truck hard, making a hard collision. Anna didn't know about Jason, but she was pretty quick to be hit in the head by something beyond a window and therefore wind up blacking out.

XxX

 _Bleep... bleep... bleep..._

Anna's vision was blurry at first. She looked up at the unfamiliar white ceiling for about two seconds before her head began to pound. She winced and tried to get at least a handle on where she was. As she realized, she was in a hospital.

She looked at herself, as she was now in a hospital gown. Her left arm was in a cast. Her right hand was hooked up to two IVs; one having blood, one having saline. A wire ran down the front of her hospital gown, and she felt something sticky attached to her chest. As it turned out, it was a heart rate monitor. Her head and face felt sore, so she had no doubt that she had a concussion and several bruises. Her left leg, when she looked, was cut up, bandaged, and bruised.

Her right leg was gone.

To be specific, the bottom half of it was. But Anna felt no less freaked out. She wanted to pass back out. Rather, she laid down and tried to recall what had happened. When she did, she just went back to square one of being freaked out.

XxX

It was a little while before a doctor came in. "You must be Miss Chamberlain! How are you feeling?" he asked. "Awful," Anna replied dryly. "Well, I'm Dr. Fortner. I suppose you'd like an explanation?" Dr. Fortner offered. "All I wanna know is where my brother is. And what exactly happened to cause my leg to be _taken off_ ," Anna said.

There was a reason she was known for her honesty and integrity.

"Your leg? It, perhaps, took the worst of the damages. It was mangled beyond repair. The safe thing to do to prevent infection as well was to amputate it. And your brother, he... I'm sorry, but he died in the accident of a snapped neck. Do you have anywhere to go outside of this hospital?" Dr. Fortner asked.

"No, I'd rather stay in my apartment than go back to foster care, before you even _try_ that. But did.. did you save anything else from the accident?" Anna asked.

Dr. Fortner walked over to the counter. "The bag in the backseat. It's a bit tattered, but otherwise in a good shape. There's things like a tutu and ballet shoes in here. I assume they're yours?" he guessed.

"Yeah," Anna said. She looked to her incomplete leg sadly. "But I guess I have no use for it any more..."

XxX

Anna had to stay in the hospital for a pretty good amount of time. That much was obvious. After her arm healed and she was released, she was put on crutches and driven to an orphanage by a hospital staff member. She got out of the car, yes, but when she saw the car drive away, she didn't go inside.

Her bag still over her shoulder, she hobbled off. Jason was gone. She had a leg and a half, meaning she couldn't dance. And if she stayed, then she would be put back into foster care. She was done. So, she went off to just end it all.

It took a pretty good part of the day, but she did manage to get out of town and go to the one place where she knew she could get this over with without anyone worrying over her: the top of Mt. Ebott. She gulped as she looked at the chasm below; the drop made her feel anxious.

But she was set on this. "Mom... Jason... I'm coming for you."

And, down she fell.

XxX

It was a disappointment to wake up. Anna was on a golden flower bed, her crutches on one side of her and her bag on the other side. Jeez, she couldn't even kill herself correctly. Well, there had to be _something_ down here. So, she got up, balancing herself on her crutches before walking off with her bag, but she didn't have to walk far until she met someone.

A goat boy. "Holy-!" Anna exclaimed, biting her tongue.

"Howdy! You've fallen down, haven't you?" the goat asked. Anna could only nod, still in shock that she was talking to an anthropomorphic goat.

"Well, what's your name?" the goat asked. "I'm Anna... who're you?" Anna asked. "Asriel Dreemurr. I'll show you to my family," Asriel said.

Anna nodded, still visibly wary. So, she followed after Asriel. The two kept walking towards the house in the Ruins.

"So, who all's in your family?" Anna asked. "My mom Toriel, my dad Asgore, my sister Chara, and my brother Jacob. Chara and Jacob are humans who fell down, just like you," Asriel explained.

Anna nodded, her gaze focused on the ground. Until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You know, you don't have to be sad any more," Asriel said.

"Why shouldn't I be sad? I lost my brother, who's the only sense of security and comfort I've ever had! I can't dance-my _passion_ -any more, because I've got half of my leg gone! I came up to the mountain in hopes of death!" Anna yelled. Tears trickled down from her face.

"I would rather have died that live without Jason..."

Asriel felt his own SOUL break a little. He gave Anna hug. The girl was still for several moments. Then, she hugged back. "No matter how broken you are," Asriel said, "you have to hang on."

The two pulled apart. "Will... you help me?" Anna asked.

Asriel grinned. "Of course!" he said. 'Now, let's go see everyone else."

 *****And now, we have the SOUL of integrity! I actually didn't know the definition of integrity until I played Undertale... yep, I'm a stupid. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

*****Hello, everyone! This chapter is going to be considerably shorter than the other ones, I will admit, but I had to get him in there. Anyways, what belongs to Toby Fox belongs to Toby Fox, what belongs to me belongs to me, and let's roll into it!**

 **Chapter Three: Bravery**

More often than not, Sean De La Rosa was in over his head.

He loved getting into play boxing matches, insisting that his favorite boxing gloves and the bandana with abs on it that he always wore were good luck. Even if, more often than not, he walked away with more than just a few bruises. He'd lost count of how many times he'd broken his left arm in the span of the past eleven years he'd been alive.

But, he didn't care. He walked into every "match" so happily that you could see the gleam of his chestnut-colored eyes through his hair of the same color that sometimes fell into them. And he left just as happily, even if he was a bit beat up.

However, his hobby would soon become his downfall.

XxX

Sean was casually eating lunch at school when he was suddenly whapped on the back of the head. He put down his sandwich and turned around to take a look at who'd hit him.

"Oh. Hey, Randall. You know, if I got another suspension, my parents will be pretty mad and I'll probably get an expulsion instead," he said. Another boy in his class, Randall, was standing there.

"Can it, De La Rosa. I've had it with you thinking you're the strongest," Randall said. Despite being a normal height, Sean was pretty well-built.

"Your point is?" he asked.

"I'm going to prove to you that you're not as strong as you think you are. At the top of Mt. Ebott. Today, after school. You can't just run to your mommy there," Randall said.

"Okay. Now, can I eat my sandwich in peace?" Sean asked. Randall simply walked off, leaving him to be.

Sean went back to his sandwich. This was going to be easy...

...right?

XxX

It didn't take long to get up to Mt. Ebott after school.

"Okay, I'm ready to roll. Got my gloves, got my bandana, let's p-" Sean stopped talking when he got punched right in the face.

"No talking. Just fighting," Randall said.

"Okay. Don't blame me if you wind up falling down a hole!" Sean said, grinning.

XxX

For a fight between eleven-year-old boys, it was certain something. Both boys were well past the injuries caused in a play fight.

"I'm _done_ with you, De La Rosa. We're _all_ done with you," Randall said, wiping some blood from his nose. "Your point is?" Sean asked, well aware that his left eye was beginning was beginning to swell shut.

"Have fun under a mountain."

And with that, Randall shoved Sean down the chasm.

XxX

"I DON'T WANNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

Chara barely had time to look up from the golden flower patch at the scream before she realized she had to get out of the way. She made a quick turn and stood up (she had been sitting in the flower patch) just in time for another human to fall down face-first.

He rolled over onto his back. "Good Lord..." he groaned.

"What kind of beating did you take?" Chara asked.

"I can't deny a fight. My name's Sean. Are there other humans here?" Sean asked.

"Two other. We live in a full house of humans and goats. And I guess we'll have to make room for another," Chara said.

Sean looked shocked. "I'm sorry, _goats_?" he asked.

"That's what I thought when I fell down. But Mom, Dad, and Asriel are the goats. Me, Jacob, and Anna are the humans. I guess you're with us now as well," Chara said. She started walking off.

Sean followed her. "Is it just a goat petting zoo down here?" he asked.

Chara snorted. "You ain't seen _nothing_ yet."

Sean didn't know if he was more excited or scared."

 *****And that would be the SOUL of bravery! Be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

*****Hello, everyone, and I am back to give you another SOUL child! I wrote this and the last chapter back-to-back, so that explains it. Anyways, the SOUL and her family belong to me, the Dreemurr family belongs to Toby Fox, sign language is signified by italics, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Four: Perseverance**

Meredith Dessecker stood out without the intention.

She was awfully small for an eight-year-old, her slight chubbiness making her look sort of like a plush toy in build. Her Coke-bottle glasses were almost too big for her pale, freckled face. They only made her gray eyes startlingly more vibrant, especially against her curly black hair.

However... those qualities weren't what people knew here for. They knew her because she was deaf and mute. And she had always been that way, communicating solely by sign language and reading people's lips. She carried around a journal in which she logged her thoughts throughout the days.

Even though she couldn't actually hear, she knew what the other kids thought of her. They thought that she was a total weirdo, despite the fact that she was extremely smart. So, she remained with her books, with her intelligence, and with her tears as the other kids made fun of her for things she just couldn't help.

For now.

XxX

Meredith was reading a book when her bedroom door opened. She marked her place and put her book down. _Hi, Mom,_ she signed.

It was indeed Mrs. Dessecker standing there. _Come with me. Your father and I need to have a serious discussion with you. Right away,_ she signed.

Meredith nodded, now a bit scared. She followed Mrs. Dessecker to the living room.

 _Girls, I'm glad you're here,_ Mr. Dessecker, who was already there, signed. Meredith sat down next to her mother. _What's this all about?_ she signed, wary.

 _Your father and I are getting a divorce. And soon, at that,_ Mrs. Dessecker signed.

Meredith was still for a few moments. _But why?_ she signed.

Mr. Dessecker sighed. _Baby, you're a smart girl. And I know you can tell that there have been tensions between your mother and I-_ His signing was cut off when his hands were pressed down. _Because I found another woman's-no, two sets of underwear two nights in a row belonging to another woman,_ Mrs. Dessecker cut in.

Meredith had noticed a certain new friction between her parents. But that didn't mean she wanted to accept it.

 _And yet, you were out drinking,_ Mr. Dessecker said. Then, the couple switched to what they could do, unlike their daughter: talking. Judging from their expressions, it looked to be more like yelling.

Meredith could only watch for a few moments before she had to cover her eyes, therefore pushing her glasses up to her forehead. She couldn't stand her parents yelling like this.

Not at all.

XxX

After the divorce was finalized, Meredith was about ready to go crazy.

It had been decided that she would live with her mother, but she would spend every other month at her father's new apartment. Not by her, of course.

The night before she was supposed to watch her father leave, she was done. She packed a simple back of her notebook, a spare set of clothes, a few snacks in her room, a water bottle or two, and her spare pair of glasses.

She wrote a simple note:

 _Mom,_

 _I love you, but I cannot take how you and Daddy fight. I do not place to leave forever, but to take a break. I will be back eventually._

 _-Meredith_

And, she crawled out of the window of her room, dropped a few feet, and began to walk out into the cold , dark night.

XxX

It was early morning. Meredith was tired, but she'd gotten to where she'd needed to go. She was one for persevering, that was for certain. At last, she'd gotten to her place of temporary residence.

The top of Mt. Ebott.

She would stay there that day and that night, then she would leave. Simple. So, she laid down, putting her glasses in her bag before falling asleep.

XxX

"Hello? Hello?"

Meredith woke up right when she was tapped. She dug into her bag on reflex, putting on her glasses. When she saw that it was a large goat man with regal attire, she kind of regretted that decision. She looked around.

Apparently, she had fallen down the mountain in her sleep, and landed on a bed of golden flowers that must have cushioned her fall. Now, a royal goat was waking her up.

 _Do you know ASL?_ she signed.

 _Yes. I learned because some of the other monsters here in the Underground do not have mouths or can't speak, and therefore communicate by signs,_ the goat man signed back.

Meredith was relieved, if not just a little bit. _Who are you?_ she signed.

 _I'm Asgore Dreemurr. What's your name, child?_ Asgore signed.

 _Meredith Dessecker. Are... you going to hurt me?_ she asked. She was a bit scared at first. But when Asgore's expression went into a kind smile, she wasn't quite as scared.

 _Of course not. Now, come along. I'll show you to my wife and our children,_ Asgore signed. He helped Meredith up to stand.

 _How many kids do you have?_ she signed.

Asgore couldn't help a bit of laughter. _Six. And four of them are human,_ he signed.

Meredith was a bit shocked. She shouldered her bag and walked along with him. However, she grabbed his hand. Asgore looked at her with a confused expression.

 _H-O-M-E?_ Meredith spelled with her free hand. Asgore gently squeezed her hand.

When he nodded, she felt much better

 *****I have nothing against people who are deaf and mute, I have a buddy who is deaf in her left ear. Also, I am not poking fun at living with divorce. My parents are still together, but I have friends who have divorced parents. Just some disclaimers. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

*****Hello, everyone! I'm a bit sick and extremely stressed. And what do I do when I'm stressed? I write stories! But the ones that I've planned out in advance, so I have an outline and I'm not throwing crap onto my paper and putting the same quality of things onto my computer. Anyways, you know the drill. Toby Fox owns his things, I own my things, and let's jump right in!**

 **Chapter Five: Justice**

Mark O' Halloran, for lack of a better way to put it, hated the way he looked. And that was something that a nine-year-old shouldn't have been concerned , here he was.

When he was little, he had gotten terrible burns on his face and neck, as well as on his hands and arms. All because of a kitchen fire. The burns had healed, yes, but he still had problems with them occasionally and awful patches from the scars. Red and rough, a total eye sore.

They drove the other children he wanted to play tag or catch with on the playground away, because they thought something was wrong with him. Because they thought he was a freak, or a weirdo.

All because of the burns.

All because of what he wished he could so badly change about himself.

XxX

Mark had just finished getting a cast put on his arm.

"How did this happen, exactly?" the doctor asked. Mark sighed, and looked at his mother. Mrs. O' Halloran was happy to step in, but sad to explain.

"He got beat up by the other children at school today. And one of them just... got far beyond out of hand. They decided to break his arm," she explained.

"I see. But why would they just gang up on him?" the doctor asked. Mark winced as his broken arm was put into a sling.

"Some older boys were making fun of him because of his scars," Mrs. O' Halloran said.

"I see. You know, I noticed them all when he came in. We here can probably do something about those. Probably," the doctor offered.

Mark sighed. "Don't," he muttered. He had a strange knack for knowing what was right and what was wrong, and he didn't need to brush his sandy-blond hair away from his eyes to tell that this was wrong.

"Mark, haven't you wanted to look-" Mrs. O' Halloran was stopped in her speech when she was interrupted.

"Better? Easier to look at? Normal?" Mark guessed. "I wasn't going to say that," Mrs. O' Halloran said.

"I know you were, Mom. I could tell. I _know_ I look ugly. I _know_ I look like a freak because I got burned. It's easy to see. I've gotten made fun of. It's easy to see. The story's been told a bazillion times over by now. Now, my arm's been broken and I was just offered plastic surgery for it!" Mark ranted. He felt like smacking something. Perhaps he was a little violent, his two favorite possessions being a little toy gun that had lost its bullet long ago and the cowboy hat that went with it.

Quite frankly, he didn't really care right now.

"I never said that you were ugly," Mrs. O' Halloran said gently. "You let onto it. Now that I have this cast, can we please go home?" Mark asked.

"I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I was just offering help. But you're clear to go," the doctor allowed. So, Mark and Mrs. O' Halloran left.

XxX

Beyond the pain in his arm, Mark couldn't sleep that night. He thought about every little remark that had been made to him because of his scars. At last, he just couldn't take it. He got up and grabbed his toy gun and cowboy hat.

As immature as it might've seemed, he didn't want to go off to slowly die without them.

XxX

It didn't take very long to get to Mt. Ebott. Getting to the top, however, was a different story. Mark was glad he was light with long legs, that was for certain. But it still took him a while to get to the top.

When he did, he was glad. The view was amazing from the top. The stars twinkling on the night sky were breathtaking, and beyond the sense that he was up pretty high. The navy blue of the sky fit just perfectly with the subtle evening breeze.

The only reason he'd chosen to go up there was for the sake of everyone around him. He thought that his burns made him ugly, and he wanted to spare everyone from that sight. So, he went to a place where no one would go searching for him. The top of Mt. Ebott.

"They might as well assume me gone for good," he said to himself. So, he sat down, putting on his cowboy hat and twirling his toy gun around his finger, enjoying the view.

But he didn't get to enjoy the view for very long when the ground gave way beneath him and he fell down.

XxX

A goat lady wasn't exactly what Mark had anticipated seeing when he woke up. "Oh! Goodness!" she said, so startled that she dropped her watering can.

Mark looked down and discovered that he was indeed on a patch of golden flowers. "Wh... who are you?" he asked, wary.

"My name is Toriel. Who are you?" Toriel asked. "Mark," Mark replied curtly.

 _When's she gonna start making fun of my scars?_

"Well, Mark. If you would let me, then I can heal your arm and take you back to my home. There, we can remove your cast. Also, you can meet my husband and our many children. And don't worry, there's other humans there," Toriel offered.

She reached over and gently placed her hand on Mark's arm. Then, she used her healing magic on him. He was able to take off his sling and move his arm just fine. Well, despite how heavy the cast was on his arm. But, he'd expected that. "Wow... thanks," he said.

"Of course. Now, come along. I'll bring you to your new home," Toriel said. So, the two walked off.

"You're... not gonna make fun of my burn marks?" Mark asked, incredulous. "Of course not, child. No one's perfect. That's what makes us interesting, do you not agree?" Toriel asked.

"Yeah," Mark said. Then, he smiled.

"Yeah."

 *****I'm not making fun of anyone who has scars or burns. My older brother has a scar on his forehead, for example. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

*****Hello, everyone! I actually finished this chapter yesterday, but my Internet was being a pain and didn't work until today. Now, I am required by common sense to put a trigger warning for a suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, and mentions of insanity. Just to be safe. Anyways, you know the drill. Toby Fox owns his stuff, I own mine, and let's roll into it!**

 **Chapter Six: Patience**

Leah Tomlin was technically insane.

She had gone to a psychiatrist for two years, until she turned seven. At last, her family seemed to give up on her. They shipped her off to what was called a mental facility, but was pretty much an insane asylum. She was aware of what made her "special", even on the surface.

If special meant extremely unnerving to be around.

Her eyes, one being gray and one being blue. Although she generally kept them hidden behind the bangs of her long, coffee-colored hair, you could seem to just tell when she was looking at you. The fact that she had a blue, faded ribbon tied around her neck at all times to hide a scar from a knife that she had given herself when she was small.

Above all, the fact that she always had a toy knife to somewhat satiate her love of real knives. Yes, she was beyond how insane any ten-year-old should've been.

Technically.

XxX

After three years, the mental facility eventually decided that they could do nothing else with Leah. So, they had to send her back to her house. As much of a sociopath as she was, she preferred her house over her boring room at the asylum. So, she went inside, dragging her suitcase behind her.

"Where are the knives..." she mumbled, digging around in the silverware drawer.

"Welcome home."

She stopped her search and turned around. There stood her brother, who had eight years on her, named Jay. "What do you want?" Leah asked.

"You were locked for three years in the nut house. Can't a brother say hello?" Jay asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, shut up. They just sent me home because they couldn't fix me," Leah said.

"That's why Mom and Dad didn't want you," Jay said flatly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask, taking a swig from it. "Good stuff."

Leah rolled her eyes. "I _know_ they didn't want me. I _know_ I was an accident. Shut up about it, or I'll stab you," she threatened.

"With a toy? I'd like to see you try. Besides, Mom told me she'd really like to stab you for a change. And Dad agreed," Jay said.

"That's nothing new, now, is it? Never came for a visit. Never came for a birthday, or a holiday. _Never even called,_ " Leah growled.

"Because you lost all your marbles years ago," Jay snorted, going back to his drinking.

Leah went back to the kitchen, digging through the drawers. Until she pulled out a steak knife. She slowly licked the edge of the knife, grinning maniacally. "If you all want me dead, then fine. I'll go take care of that myself! I'll even do it far away, so you don't have to clean up my body or bury it or anything," she said.

"Y'know, I ain't cleaning up your blood," Jay said.

Leah walked over to him. "Oh, my dear brother. I'm not using this knife of myself," she said, running her fingers along the blade.

"Then... who?" Jay asked. Now, he was starting to get nervous.

Especially when Leah met his blue eyes with her heterochromatic ones and said, "Take a guess."

XxX

After cleaning herself of the blood as to not raise suspicions, Leah know what she had to do. She took her trusty toy knife-that and the ribbon around her neck were two things she wanted to die with-and took a silent trek up to the top of Mt. Ebott. When she did, she looked into the chasm down below.

 _If I die right now, then nobody will even care._

So, she walked off the edge and fell down.

XxX

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Leah's eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice. She saw a goat standing over her, and she was wide awake. So, she took her toy knife and tried to stab at him blindly.

The goat sidestepped. "Whoa! Calm down! I don't wanna hurt you!" he said.

Leah stopped and tried to get a better glimpse of what was in front of her. A goat child, one wearing a striped sweater and a kind face. "Sure," Leah muttered sarcastically.

"You act like one of my sisters. I think you'd really like her. Don't worry, she's human," the goat assured. "Who are you?" Leah snapped, holding out her knife.

"Asriel Dreemurr. Who are you?" Asriel asked. "Leah Tomlin. An official psycho. And I've reached the point where I don't even care about it," Leah said flatly.

"Well, everyone in my family's a little different," Asriel said brightly. Leah looked down and ran her fingers down the blade of her toy knife. "A little different. Right," she mumbled. But she was surprised to hear the next question.

"Can I see your eyes?"

She looked up. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Yeah! I wanna see," Asriel insisted.

So, Leah brushed up her bangs to show her eyes. "Well?" she asked. Asriel just stared for a few moments. "They look so cool! I've never seen a person with two different colors in their eyes before!" he exclaimed.

"No... no one's ever said that about my eyes before," Leah said, dropping her bangs. "I think they're so cool!" Asriel said.

Leah actually smiled. "W... wow."

 *****I know nothing about crazy people or asylums or things like that, just yet another disclaimer. This was probably my favorite chapter to write so far, in all honesty. Now that I've reached the end of all of the OC children, I want you guys to see if you can pick out which three were named after YouTubers. Because I went there. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

*****Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter! However, I do have to add some trigger warnings for child abuse and rape for the first part of this chapter. I know that those are rightfully sensitive topics, so don't say that you haven't been warned. Anyways, Toby Fox owns his stuff, I own my stuff, and let's roll into it!**

 **Chapter Seven: Determination**

Fran Damian didn't want to be herself.

It was hard to explain. It wasn't like she hated her appearance; brown hair, heterochromatic eyes (one a rustic-red color while the other was an unnatural pink), fair skin. And it wasn't that she hated her personality, either; people said that she had a big heart, and she knew that she was determined.

What she hated was where she came from. Her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her with her father. And her father was the worst.

Mr. Damian held Fran entirely to fault for the loss of his wife. As punishment-at least, he assumed that a punishment was necessary-he used Fran. As a punching bag, as a toy for sex. As a possession he hated more so than a daughter he could've-and should've-loved.

Fran tried to evade the torture as best she could, but it was just as bad emotionally as it was physically. She didn't want to be a girl. However, because of her father's... habits... with her, she had it forced upon her that she was a girl. But she didn't _feel_ like one. She felt like she wasn't a girl, or a boy.

But it seemed that she was stuck in a rut.

She, however, was determined to change that.

XxX

It took but one swift move for the action to be done.

When it was, Fran held her cut-off hair in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. Well, that was the first step. She dropped the scissors into the kitchen drawer nearby and her cut-off hair into the trash can.

Just in time for the door into the kitchen to open.

"Oh, Fran!" Mr. Damian called out as he came in. His voice was slurred, and he smelled strongly of alcohol. Of course.

Fran gulped. "I'm going now," was all she said.

For a drunk, Mr. Damian sure could move fast. He staggered after Fran and managed to knock her down. "Dad, Dad, please, _no,_ " she begged.

"You cut off all your hair... your pretty, brown hair... what a shame..." Mr. Damian said.

Fran squirmed under his weight. "I'm not a girl! I cut it off! Get off of me!" she cried. "You _are_ a girl. My girl. My pretty little girl..." Mr. Damian said, "...whether you like it or not." He pressed his legs into Fran's to keep her there, working off her sweater.

Her blue sweater with magenta stripes. She was powerless... until she snapped. "Y'know what?! I'M DONE!" she decided. She took her sweater back and started using the fact that her arms hadn't been pinned to her advantage-by smacking Mr. Damian in the face. Over and over and over.

"Fran, stop it! I'm trying to make you feel better!" Mr. Damian said. "You only make yourself feel better! How would getting smacked, and getting... violated make me feel _better_?!" Fran yelled.

She kept smacking her father, until he slammed her head into the hardwood floor in return.

What she heard before passing out was a simple, "Shut up."

XxX

Fran didn't know how long she was out for. When she did woke up, she felt horrible. Perhaps that was because of the fact that something had been done to her that caused her to wake up with several bruises and varying other marks. All of which she could see because she had also been stripped naked. She sighed; that was normal.

So, she got up and searched around. After she was fully dressed, she found Mr. Damian. He was passed out as well, most likely from his drunkenness.

Fran just stared at him. "I'm done with you," was all she said.

Then, she stormed out of her house, leaving it for what she knew was the last time.

XxX

It took a while, but Fran got up. She got to the top of Mt. Ebott. She knew that she didn't want to ever, _ever_ see her father again.

But she also knew that, when he sobered up, he would be searching for her. And when he eventually found her, he would be filled with more wrath and more lust than ever.

Fran looked down into the chasm and knew exactly what she had to do to be safer than she was before. So, she took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled it.

 _Goodbye, cruel world, and all who inhabit it,_ was her only thought.

Then, she stepped off the edge.

XxX

The impact didn't bring death. That was a shocker.

But it wasn't as much of a shocker as landing on top of a large, anthropomorphic goat lady.

They both felt down in a heap. Fran got up first, a bit frightened. The goat lady rolled onto her back before getting up. "Goodness... you certainly startled me," she said. Then, she actually got a glimpse of who'd fallen onto her.

"H... hi," Fran said meekly, waving. The goat lady knelt down in front of them. "Oh dear... what has injured you so badly?" she asked.

Fran rubbed her arms. "I don't really wanna talk about it. But who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Toriel. If you'll let me, I'll heal your injuries," Toriel offered. Fran stood still and watched as her injuries were healed by magic. "Wow... thanks," she said.

Toriel smiled and stood up. "It's no problem, child. Come along, now. I shall bring you to meet my family. There's a lot of us, but I believe you will find it quite nice. And by the way, I didn't hear your name," she said.

As Fran followed her, she knew what she had to say.

"Frisk. My name is Frisk."

 *****It took literally everything within my power not to make Frisk's original last name Bow. Anyways, Frisk's backstory was actually from an old drabble my best friend and I did together, so I just reused that. This was all that I really had planned out, so I'm probably gonna be away from this story for a bit longer as I get my jim-jams and doo-hickeys all in order. Be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

*****Hello, everyone! I am SO sorry that I left this story to be. I actually have an explanation, though. There's obviously a lot of main characters to keep in mind when writing this. Because I have the memory of a goldfish most of the time, I have to be looking at my laptop-the one place where I have the profiles of every SOUL child-to write them correctly. And I can only do that at home. But, I'm actually really happy with how this worked out. Enough rambling! The Dreemurr family and Frisk belong to Toby Fox, all of the SOUL children belong to me, and let's jump in!**

 **Chapter Nine: SOULs In A Row**

Needless to say, with nine kids and two adults in the house, it was pretty crammed. But, everyone found a place to sleep at night. And some kids got along better than others.

While Chara and Asriel were still stuck together in their friendship, Chara seemed to like Leah and Asriel certainly hit it off with Jacob. Frisk, Meredith, and Anna got along just fine. And Sean and Mark, as surprising as it was, acted like brothers.

Everyone actually began to help each other out. If Anna couldn't do something because of her amputation preventing her from doing it, then she got assistance. When Frisk wound up upset because of a nightmare about their time with their father, Jacob-a fellow crier, after all-helped to comfort them. When Mark got insecure about his burns, Sean helped him feel better. It took everyone to keep Leah from having "fun" with knives, though.

And that was just the beginning. After all, Meredith was slowly teaching everyone sign language so she could more easily communicate. She could only read lips to a certain degree, after all. She could read sign language far better.

As chaotic as watching nine children with such diverse personalities and backgrounds was, Asgore and Toriel adjusted pretty well. They were the king and queen of the Underground, and that took a high tolerance for chaos.

And speaking of being the king and the queen...

XxX

Everyone was in the palace early that morning.

"I'm physically awake, but not mentally. That doesn't happen until about noon," Sean said with an exaggerated yawn.

"Oh, you shut up. Eight in the morning isn't bad," Leah said.

"I forgot that you're crazy. Anyone who's okay with getting up before ten is crazy," Sean commented.

"You can shut your big mouth. Or I'll make you regret that you ever opened it," Leah threatened.

Although Chara was chanting in the background to encourage a fight, Frisk pushed them apart. "Don't fight, you guys. We won't solve anything like this," they said. Leah stuck out her tongue.

Meredith had resorted to using her notebook and pencil for communication for now. She got the attention of Mark and Anna by tapping their shoulders. "Yeah?" Mark asked. Anna let out a questioning hum.

 _I don't want them to see me,_ Meredith had written. "Join the club," Mark said dryly. "I don't want to show myself like this either. Having a leg and a half generally isn't an everyday thing. But I guess we have to," Anna shrugged. _Okay,_ Meredith wrote, frowning.

"So... what, exactly, are we doing?" Jacob asked nervously. "Exactly what we did with Chara: showing you to the kingdom," Asriel said. Jacob's eyes widened. "Holy mackerel," he mumbled.

"Relax, son. If anything you children are to help bring forth hope that some day, monsters will be free on the surface to live among the humans," Asgore elaborated. "So there's no need to be upset, my child," Toriel concluded.

Jacob managed to relax. "Okay. So... do we children have to do anything?" he asked.

"Well, you have to say your name. I will introduce Meredith, as she is unable to do so," Toriel said.

Jacob started to get nervous again. Until he felt a furry paw on his back. "It's okay. I used to get really nervous at things like this too," Asriel said.

Jacob finally completely relaxed. "Got it."

XxX

The herd of eleven got out in front of the crowd. Asgore, Toriel, Chara, and Asriel were just fine with the entirety of the Underground in front of them before their balcony at this point. That wasn't quite the case for the others, though.

Jacob was practically shaking. Anna kept awkwardly shifting her weight between her crutches. Sean just kept waving and yelling things to the monsters below. Meredith was pale, eyes wide behind her glasses, arms crossed tightly over her chest to hold her notebook. Mark honestly felt like hiding, using his sharp sense of sight to look for anyone that could've been judging him. Leah was bored out of her mind; she'd had people do worse to her, after all. And Frisk, who had people occasionally looking at them funny, just waved and smiled at them kindly.

Asgore tapped at the microphone in his paws. "Everyone! Please, give me your attention," he ordered, keeping his tone kind as well. At their king's voice, the monsters found stopping points in the conversations and looked over.

"Thank you. Anyways, I have gathered you all here today so you could see the fallen humans that Toriel and I have taken into our home recently. These children, much like Chara, came from terrible backgrounds, for the most part. We're giving them a better life. But these children, my people, are special. All of them. They are diverse, as diverse as one could believe. But they are signs. Signs of hope. Hope for our future. Hope that one monsters and humans will live together in true peace and harmony once more. Hope. Toriel and I will raise them, and Asriel and Chara have gotten along with them all just wonderfully so far. If you all are to come across one of my children, they are not to be treated as enemies or outcasts. They will be treated as any other monster; with respect, and as friends. As family. Now, they'll introduce themselves for you all," he explained. Then, he passed the microphone off.

"Um... well... I'm Jacob Farrah."

"I'm Anna Chamberlain."

"Name's Sean De La Rosa. Get in touch with me, if any pretty monsters are looing for a strong man."

When Meredith got the microphone, she gave it to Toriel instead.

"This is one of our many daughter, Meredith Dessecker. She is deaf and mute, so we're still learning to communicate with her."

"I'm Mark O' Halloran, and I'll hear nothing about my appearance."

"Leah Tomlin. Don't call me a princess."

"And I'm Frisk. I can't wait to meet you all!"

When Frisk got done speaking, they gave the microphone back to Asgore.

"Thank you, child," he said. He turned to the other monsters. "My people... I want to know what you think of our new children," he said.

Everyone in the crowd began to cheer and applaud.

"I think they love the kids," Toriel said to her husband, who nodded. Asriel and Chara high-fived.

This was the start of something wonderful.

 *****The thing Sean said about being physically awake but not mentally awake is actually something I say all the time. So, after this, I'll go down the line with each chapter focusing on a specific child. Hopefully, updates won't be a month apart any more. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

*****Hello, everyone! Yes, this story is still alive. No, I have not given up on it. Anyways, my plan is to go down the line for each SOUL child until I've gotten through them all and we'll see how it goes after that. All SOUL kids (save for Frisk) belong to me, Frisk and the Dreemurr family belong to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Ten: They Call You Crybaby, Crybaby**

Just because Jacob lived with a different family, it didn't mean that he didn't receive occasional bits of teasing.

When Sean did it, it was more of a "guy-to-guy" type of teasing. But when Chara and Leah did it, it felt more... genuine. It hurt more.

But usually, Jacob had Asriel of Mark to discuss it with. He and Anna didn't really click, and Frisk and Meredith had proven to be quiet, if not somewhat anti-social. At least Meredith had a reason.

Asgore and Toriel, with as many children as they had as well as running the Underground's monarchy, tried to diffuse whatever situations they could between their family. And Jacob was quite appreciative of that.

But something had to break.

XxX

Everyone was at dinner one evening, just casually eating together.

"So, how was everyone's day today?" Toriel asked kindly. She signed it as well, in some attempt to help Meredith to understand.

 _Good enough,_ she signed in return.

"Hung out with my good ol' crybaby friend here," Sean said, leaning on the boy he was talking about.

"Get off of me," Jacob replied quietly, lightly pushing him off.

"I'm just joking, man," Sean said. Jacob just took a sip of his drink.

"No, no, he has a point," Chara agreed.

"Chara, please, stop teasing him," Asgore said sternly.

"You don't want someone teasing you, do you?" Mark asked, not looking up from his plate.

"Crybaby, crybaby," Leah chanted.

"Stop it," Jacob said.

"Crybaby, crybaby!" Chara said with the same rhythm, although she was louder. As she and Leah kept going, other reactions were sparked.

Sean started laughing and smacking his hands on the table in time with their rhythm. Frisk tried to busy themselves with eating. Mark just sighed, rubbing at his burn face. Anna covered her mouth, but she might've been smiling. And Meredith put her head down, tugging on her hair. That was her universal signal that she was overwhelmed, and that she wanted whatever was going on to stop.

Asgore and Toriel both tried to calm their most naughty daughters. "It's gonna be okay, Jacob," Asriel kept on saying. At last, Jacob was done. He stood up, slamming his fists down on the table with a yell of " _ENOUGH!_ "

Since he wasn't really one to yell, that got everyone to stop whatever they were doing. Toriel got Meredith to look back up, roughly signing that it was okay.

"I am _done_! I am _done_ with you two teasing me! I'm done with you teasing me too, Sean! Mark, you say that you get me, but you don't! Being called a crybaby gets old! Especially since I know that I am one by now! So why don't you three just _shut up_?!"

And with that, Jacob just stormed off from the table.

XxX

Jacob had gone right to his room. He'd slammed the door shut, then sat down on his bed. But his room was shared by Mark and Sean, so he knew he'd have to face both of them at some point. But he didn't expect it to happen just a little while into his fit of tears. And it wasn't exactly the brothers in his room that came to him.

"Hey, Jake?"

Jacob looked over at the female voice. "Don't call me that," he said, his voice still thick as he wiped his face clean of tears.

The ones who'd come in were Sean, Leah, and Chara. They all walked over and sat down on the bed.

"If you're here to tease me, then get out. And if Mom and Dad are making you apologize, then get out," Jacob said.

"You heard the man. Let's go," Leah said, standing up to go.

"Sit down," Chara sighed. So, Leah plunked back down.

"You have my attention. What is it?" Jacob asked.

"Man, we're here to apologize to you. I mean, _I'll_ take it easy on the joking from now on. I though, y'know, you'd tell the difference between a bro telling a joke and being actually bullied. Because that sucks, and I know it. So I don't know about these two crazies, but I'm sorry. Even if Mom and Dad didn't tell us to come, I would've come and apologized, I swear," Sean said.

"Thanks," Jacob replied, accepting the pat on the back he got. Then, both he and Sean turned to their sisters.

"Ladies?" Sean prompted.

Leah sighed. "Fine... we're sorry, and we won't tease you ever again," she droned.

"You gotta mean it," Sean said.

"I've never had to apologize to anyone in my life, this is as sorry as I'm gonna get. So shut up before I go get one of Mom's kitchen knives and shove it down your throat," Leah threatened.

Chara whapped them both on the back of the head. "Shut up, it's giving me a headache," she said flatly.

"Is this going anywhere?" Jacob asked.

Chara turned to him. "Yes. Sean's sorry, Leah's... some brand of sorry... and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm sorry too. We'll stop teasing you, okay?" she asked.

"I never said that," Leah protested.

Chara elbowed her had in the stomach.

"Fine, I'll take it easy," she submitted reluctantly.

"Apology accepted," Jacob agreed. That was as much of an apology he would get, and he took that with a smile.

"Alright. Now, let's go eat dinner. It's getting cold, and a big man like me needs food," Sean said. "Sure," Leah said, while Chara snickered.

So, they all four went back to the kitchen.

 *****And that's all I have for this chapter. Be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

*****Hello, everyone! I wanted to get at least one more chapter out before I left on my trip later this month, if not two more. So, here it is! Toriel and Gaster (as well as any other characters like them) belong to Toby Fox, any SOUL kids belong to me, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Eleven: A New Hope**

Just because Anna loved her new family didn't make all of her problems go away.

The biggest one being her missing lower leg. She hated hobbling around on crutches. She missed the days where she could hum a tune and start dancing. Now, if she heard any sort of song, she would have to block it out and keep limping along.

Not to mention, Leah and Chara both found it entertaining to hide her crutches whilst she slept, and she would have to search for them.

But a new bit of hope would spark when she saw the most intelligent of her siblings... even thought that sibling had never spoken a word.

XxX

Meredith had a special attachment to this sort of time. She would just sit at the kitchen table while Toriel baked, did housework, or whatever she needed to be done. And Meredith would sit there, smiling, writing in her beloved notebook. She certainly couldn't hear Toriel, but she knew that the kind monster was there. She knew that she had someone to turn to, especially since her siblings could be a bit too reckless for her liking sometimes. Although that was an understatement for Sean, Leah, and Chara...

Suddenly seeing one of her sisters sit down next to her snapped her out of her thoughts. Anna waved, propping her crutches up against the table. She knew that Meredith could read lips, as long as she spoke somewhat slowly.

"You're smart, aren't you?" she asked.

Meredith flipped to a clean page in her notebook and adjusted her glasses before she began to write. _I would like to think so, yes,_ she had written to show, since she, Toriel, and Asgore seemed to be the only ones who could sign.

"Great. Do you know anything about a replacement for where my leg was amputated? Like... a fake one?" Anna asked.

Meredith tapped on her cheek with the eraser end of her pencil as she thought for several moments on it. Then, she got to writing. It took a few moments, but she eventually put her pencil down.

 _There's such a thing as a prosthetic leg. Since you claimed to be a dancer before all of this, an automail leg might be a bit heavy, and you're quite young... but, it would tolerate the most use from physical activity. And if you got one, it would have to have a working knee joint, which would take a while to construct. Of course, there would be an adjustment period and physiotherapy as you learned to walk on it. But in the end, the pros far outweigh the cons and you would be much happier overall,_ she'd written.

Anna blinked once. "... you're really smart, you know that?" she asked.

Meredith nodded as a thank-you. Then, she scribbled down a new message: _Why don't you go ask Mom about it? I mean, she is the queen of the Underground, and she probably has connections to someone who can make a prosthetic for you._

Anna looked over at Toriel. The boss monster was tidying up her kitchen, humming to herself. "I will. Thanks," Anna said.

Meredith nodded once more. She flipped back to the page she had been on previously and resumed writing what she had been before being interrupted.

Anna got up and limped over to Toriel. "Hey, Mom? Can I ask you something?" she asked.

Toriel paused in her cleaning and walked over to one of her many daughters. "Yes, my child? What can I do for you?" she asked kindly.

"Do you know someone who can make a prosthetic leg for me? In all honesty, these crutches can get pretty annoying, and I miss being able to dance," Anna said.

Toriel thought about it for several moments, tapping on her cheek as she did so.

"I believe I know someone."

XxX

Dr. W. D. Gaster wasn't expecting any visitors. So he was surprised to see the queen and two of her many children appear while he was working.

"Your Majesty? You should have warned me beforehand that you were coming. I would have tidied up my lab a bit if you had called me," he said.

Sure enough, Toriel was standing in his lab of what he called organized chaos with Anna and Meredith. "It's quite alright, Doctor. Anna was the one who came to me with this idea," Toriel said.

"What is it, then?" Gaster asked.

"Can you make me a prosthetic leg? You're the Royal Scientist and all, and you've probably built things way more complex than that. But I was curious," Anna said.

Gaster looked her over, thinking about it for a few moments. "...I believe I can do that for you. If you will all follow me, then we can get into more detail on the matter," he eventually said.

He lead the girls off further into the lab. When Meredith was sitting down to the side while Gaster was discussing the details with Anna and Toriel, she wrote down only one sentence in her notebook:

 _This is a new hope for my sister._

 *****Meredith had to call it automail, alright? I love Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyways, I imagined that Gaster would still be the Royal Scientist because he was probably the Royal Scientist around the time of Chara and Asriel's plan, which was the prologue to this story. That aside, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

*****Hello, everyone! This story is still alive after a month-long absence, don't worry. Just be patient with me. Anyways, Chara belongs to Toby Fox, SOUL kids belong to me, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Twelve: A Big Bully**

Sean had sort of accepted it at this point. He had a lot of fun picking at the others in his house.

Especially when Chara and Leah were involved; oh, man, that was the best kind of fun. Two extra sets of hands, one mind that was off its rocker, and one that was probably close.

Yes, Sean knew that it was perfect fun.

XxX

"What's up, Scar Face?" Sean asked one afternoon, seeing Mark.

"I told you, don't call me that," Mark growled.

"Why not? It's just some f-" But Sean was shoved down onto the ground mid-sentence and kept there in his surprise. "What the heck, man?" he asked.

"It's not just fun! It's not just fun for _any_ of us! Do you think it's fun when Anna can't even stand because her crutches are gone? Do you think it's fun to watch Meredith work herself into a panic attack because she can't find her notebook? Do you think we find _any_ of that fun?" Mark asked.

Sean sighed. He had partaken in those things, and more. "...no. But I'm not the only one to blame here! And Chara and Leah to cool it as well!" he said.

Mark pulled him off the ground. "That's your problem." Then, he walked away.

After a few minutes of thinking, so did Sean.

XxX

"Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

Leah scowled, but took another card from the deck. She and Chara were sitting on the floor of her room, playing Go Fish as a sort of way to pass the time by.

Until Sean came in. "I can't act like you guys any more!" he blurted out. He got two confused looks.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Leah asked, crossing her arms.

Sean walked over and sat down with them. "What I mean is, I don't wanna act like a big bully anymore. I don't wanna be the cause of Meredith's panic attacks or Jacob's crying... even though he cries all the time and I was initially surprised that he was a guy," he said.

That was a common opinion.

"Your point is?" Chara asked.

"Can we stop being such a-holes to each other? There's a lot of us in this house, and it's fun to tease each other, but can we dial it back to where we _don't_ cause emotional outbursts?" Sean asked.

The adoptive sisters looked at each other, as though they were having a silent conversation.

"He's got a point. Maybe we do go too far sometimes," Chara admitted.

Leah sighed. "You two are no fun," she pouted.

"You're not in the nut house any more! You can actually care about other people," Sean said.

That actually got Leah to think. At last, she submitted. "I'll work on it," she caved reluctantly.

"Good enough for me!" Sean said. He moved closer to the girls.

"So, what're we playing?"

 *****This was the best sort of idea I could think of for Sean, and I actually liked it. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

*****Hello, everyone! So I am really hoping that no one gets offended by this chapter... You'll see what I mean eventually. SOUL kids belong to me, Asriel, Asgore, and Gaster belong to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Mental**

Meredith always acted... different.

She and the rest of her family knew that. She just chalked it up to the fact that she was deaf and mute, and everyone else could speak and hear.

But she was beyond the fact that she had those impairments. She knew that she had different ways of thinking, different ways of acting.

So what did that mean?

XxX

Asriel and Meredith probably got along the best out of the rest of the kids. Therefore, they spent a lot of time together. Just like how they were currently coloring and drawing together.

But, Meredith had something on her mind. She flipped to a blank page on her notebook and started to explain in the best way she could. "Do you think I'm weird?" she wrote down in her book.

Asriel looked up from his coloring to read it, and was surprised. "No. Why do you think that?" he asked.

So, Meredith scribbled in her book once again. "I can't hear or speak. I act so much differently than you guys do. Doesn't that make me weird?" she wrote.

"No. It just makes you unique! We're not really perfect here, but that doesn't matter. However... if you want to do something about your speaking or hearing, then we can probably get Mom or Dad to ask the Royal Scientist. He knows about stuff like this," Asriel said.

Meredith smiled at the thought. Being able to at least hear the world around her would've been amazing, and getting to speak her thoughts instead of writing them would've been even better. So, she had her response. "Let's go ask Mom and Dad," she wrote.

So, Asriel went with her to go find Asgore or Toriel-whoever was home.

XxX

Asgore wound up being able to bring Meredith (who wanted to have Asriel with her) to Gaster's lab in Hotland. He was fine with doing an examination. While he couldn't quite find anything for Meredith's vocal chords or ears, he did find something that he found worthy of sharing.

"Your Majesty, after a few tests, I believe I've actually found the cause of what's lead Meredith to be deaf and mute," Gaster said.

"Oh? And what is that?" Asgore asked.

"She has severe autism," Gaster stated.

That was a surprise... but it was one that made sense. It also made sense of how she would pull at her hair when she got overwhelmed, and would launch into panic attacks if she went too long without her notebook.

"Did you know about this before you fell down?" Asriel asked.

"No. My parents were too busy fighting to do anything for me, really. I'm surprised they cared enough to even buy me glasses, but there was no way that they'd ever stop yelling at each other long enough to take me to a doctor to diagnose me for autism. I guess that makes me even weirder, doesn't it?" Meredith wrote, smiling sadly.

Asgore picked her up. "Child, having autism doesn't make you weird. Asriel, myself, your mother, and all of your siblings will love you just the same, no matter what. We're quite a unique household, and this only adds to the mix," he said.

Meredith smiled and put her head on his shoulder.

Asriel couldn't help but mumble, "Believe him, not me."

 *****Well, at least Asriel's idea was believed eventually. Again, I'm sorry if I offended anyone by Meredith being an autistic character, this is just a story. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

*****Hello, everyone! I actually got this done last night... I just didn't upload it because I think I was stalling. Welp, it's here now, and y'all can't complain! The Dreemurrs belong to Toby Fox, the SOUL kids belong to me, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Fourteen: Fixer-Upper**

Mark had taken insults more personally than he'd let on originally. He hated each one, but he kept his mouth shut to them. He kept telling himself that it wouldn't be as bad as it was on the surface. But so far, he wasn't exactly getting that.

And he was getting closer to snapping for the very reason he'd snapped on the surface.

XxX

It was evening time. Well, it was according to the clocks across the Underground, because there was no sun or moon to really tell what time of the day it was. But, that was another matter.

The royal family and the mass of adoptive kids with them sat down for dinner.

"You're late, Burns," Leah said flatly when Mark was the last one to the table.

"Least I'm not crazy," he replied.

"Children..." Toriel said in a warning tone of voice that was ignored. She kept her hand on Meredith's back reassuringly, as she was beginning to tug at her hair, just sensing a fight coming on.

"At least I'm not covered in ugly-ay marks that'll leave me forever alone~" Leah said, smirking. But that smirk fell right off her face.

Rather, it was _punched_ off of her face, and she was knocked onto the floor.

"Mark, Leah, stop this right this instant," Asgore said in a tone of voice that usually got anyone to listen and obey. But even that was ignored as Mark picked up Leah by her collar.

"Do me-and _everyone else_ -a favor. Shut your mouth for once or go back to the nut house. I know I'm burned, but you don't have to put salt in the wound," he said.

Leah uncurled his fingers from around her shirt calmly. "And you don't have to overreact to everything," she said.

Mark shoved Leah down, at a loss for words. Then, he stormed off towards his room. The girl got up and sat back down.

"I thought we were trying to be nicer," Chara said. Sean nodded.

"Trying," was all Leah said.

XxX

Mark only looked up when he heard a steady _ka-thunk... ka-thunk... ka-thunk..._

The noise was Anna's crutches against the ground. She came in and was in the doorway. "Mind if I come in and talk?" she asked.

"What about?" Mark asked, tone dark.

Anna sat down next to his on the bed. "How about you?" she asked.

"If you're here to treat me like Leah does, then you can leave now," Mark said.

"You hate yourself for your burns," Anna stated.

Mark met his eyes to hers. "Nah dip, smart-alec," he replied dryly.

"And you think you're the broken one," Anna went on.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "So what're you getting at?" he asked.

"Open your eyes! You think you're broken, and that you're the only one. But you're not the only one! Meredith can't hear, and she has autism. I don't even have two full legs! I'm sure that, before you feel down, you met people who were imperfect," Anna said.

Mark thought about his sister's words. He _had_ met people with mental and physical deformations and handicaps on the surface. And he'd met some in the Underground as well. "Because people always picked on me, I always thought that I was just... the weird one out. Everyone else was better, and I was beneath them," he explained.

Anna patted his back. "You're not beneath them. In case you haven't noticed, we're all weird down here. All fixer-uppers. But... we're getting better," she said.

"Whatever you say, sis," Mark said.

Anna stood up, balancing herself back on her crutches. "Are you coming back to dinner? You know that Asriel _really_ likes eating Mom's chicken, and that's what we're having tonight," she said.

Mark stood up too. "That goat isn't getting any of my chicken," he said. Anna laughed.

"By the way, can you maybe... whack Leah with one of those crutches?" Mark asked. He was then smacked in the back of his legs with a crutch.

"You earned that." Then, Anna limped off.

Mark followed her; well, it was certainly worth a shot.

 *****Yeah, not the best of the chapters. But be sure to leave a review on the way out and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	15. Chapter 15

*****Hello, everyone! So, here we are, last chapter focusing on a single child. But I do have to put a trigger warning on this-there is self-harm involved. Asriel belongs to Toby Fox (although I own an adorable Asriel plushie), Leah belongs to me, and let's get started!**

 **Chapter Fifteen: When You Walk Away**

Leah knew she was a bully. Everyone in her house knew it, and there was nothing they could do. After all, she never quite changed. She knew that she was punishing them, in a way.

But the one she punished the most was herself.

XxX

Asriel couldn't sleep. He just felt like something was... off.

At last, he couldn't take it. He had to go find out what was making him so uneasy to the point of sleeplessness. And if someone else saw him awake this late at night, he would say that he was just getting a glass of water.

So, he got out of bed and quietly went down the halls, his green eyes adjusting to the dark as he went along. However, when he heard a faint humming, he could rely more on his ears and less on his eyes.

The humming came from the kitchen. And it came from Leah.

She was pacing back and forth in a perfect, slow beat, one of the knives Toriel used for cooking in her hand. She also, notably, had no shirt on. Just her pajama pants. Asriel watched in horror as Leah let the tip of the knife slowly drag against one of her ribs. But it didn't seem to bother her. She kept pacing and humming, and was fortunately unable to see her brother.

So Asriel had to take an approach from farther off. Standing where he was, he caused Leah's cooking knife to melt. The hot liquid was on the floor now.

However, Leah did _not_ look happy. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." she growled, walking around.

Asriel stepped out into her line of sight. "Before you try and kill me," he said, "I just wanna see what you've done to yourself."

Leah turned to him. "You came to me at a special time. I just finished my tracing," she said. Across her torso was the outline of her front ribs in several scars. The most recent one was bleeding. "Beautiful, isn't it? You get awfully bored in the nuthouse!" she explained.

Asriel put his hands on her shoulder. "Snap out of it. You're not there anymore, okay? You don't need to do this to yourself. _You don't need to do this to yourself,_ " he said.

Leah stared at him for several moments. Then, she sat down on the floor with a sigh, putting her shirt back on. "I can't help but do this. I hurt you guys, I hurt myself, and I've done worse," she said, voice thick.

Asriel sat down with her. "You don't have to be the same person you were on the surface. You can get better. We can help you get better," he said. He could've sworn that a small smile appeared on Leah's face.

"You're a good brother, Asriel."

 *****Hey, at least it got happy at the ending, right? Now, I have to think of what to do next. In the meantime, be sure to leave a review on the way out, and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16

*****Hello, everyone! Look... this story IS alive! I just had writer's block for it and it fell to the bottom of my list of stories. Anyways, any SOUL kids belong to me, Frisk belongs to Toby Fox, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Cry On The Inside**

Frisk had made it apparent that they didn't want to be a girl, nor did they want to be a boy.

That stress was part of what drove them up to Mt. Ebott in the first place. Everyone was okay with their preference, and they understood if they were accidentally called a she. After all, Frisk did have some feminine traits to their appearance (and to their dismay), so it just took a quick correction to settle things.

But over their time in the Underground, as they occasionally went out into this new world, they realized that some people did it on purpose.

And even the most DETERMINED of resolves to not break under teasing could get worn down after being hit many times over...

XxX

Jacob was looking for a pencil. He knew better than to take Meredith's, and he was still partially frightened by Leah, so they were out of the question. So, that lead Jacob to the next room on the hall.

He saw Frisk, curled up on the bed, hugging a pillow to their chest. "Hi," they said flatly. Jacob looked at them for a moment. "Crying on the inside?" he guessed.

Frisk sat up, putting their pillow to the side. "Is it that obvious?" they asked.

Jacob sat down with them, forgetting his need of a pencil for the time being. "Yeah. I used to be able to do that, but... I can't do that now," he said.

"I kinda grew up with that mentality. My dad wouldn't let me cry without consequences. So, I learned to just keep it inside," Frisk explained.

Jacob rubbed their back. "It hurts a bit more to keep it in, so it's easier to let it out," he said.

Frisk thought on it. "...it does hurt more," they agreed quietly.

"You can't hold it in forever. Don't let everything out, but... find the happy medium. In this case, the crybaby medium," Jacob said.

"Okay," Frisk said, smiling for the first time in this conversation. Things fell silent between them.

"What made you so upset?" Jacob eventually had to ask.

Frisk got back their pillow, hugging it to their chest and curling their knees up to it once more. "I went out with Mom into the rest of the Underground because it gets pretty crowded in here. A few people called me a she, and me and Mom nicely corrected them. Then, people did it intentionally to make me feel bad. I got back and... it hurts, y'know? Is it really that bad?" they asked.

Jacob hugged them. "It's not bad. It's just you being you."

Frisk hugged him back. "You're a good friend. Brother. Whatever. You get my point," they said.

Jacob only grinned.

 *****And there you have it. I really like how this turned out, but that may just be me. And my mother tells me and my siblings to cry on the inside, so that's where that came from. Anyways, be sure to leave a review on the way out and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

*****Hello, everyone! Y'know how this has been a 'slow burner' story? Well, that shall be no more. Explanation at the end. Anyways, Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk belong to Toby Fox, other SOUL kids belong to me, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Seventeen: Breaking Point**

It was rare that all nine children congregated in one room with their parents. Well, exception with when they ate. But other than that, they rarely all met up. But now, they did. According to Asgore when he'd relayed the memo, it was important.

So, they all gathered... even if it took ten minutes to round everyone up. "Sorry. Someone took my crutches," Anna said, shooting an accusatory look across the room.

"You weren't using them," Leah shrugged. Meredith pulled on her hair with a sigh.

"Least it wasn't him this time... right?" Jacob asked, pointing to Sean. The rambunctious boy nodded. "Yep," he confirmed.

"For once," Mark mumbled. He was sitting on the arm of the chair. Well, until Sean pushed him off for saying that.

"My turn!" Chara said. She then elbowed Frisk so hard that they fell out of their chair. Once they were on the floor, Chara sat down in their place. "Thank you," she said.

Frisk sighed, but made themselves comfy on the carpet regardless.

"Guys, stop it!" Asriel snapped. "Shut up, Mama's Boy!" Leah teased.

"Children, please!" Toriel intervened. That got everyone's attention. A smile came to her face. "Thank you. Anyways, your father and I have something important to discuss. Regarding the reason that we're down here," she said. The smile fell from her face at the last part.

Asgore took her paw reassuringly. "I'll take it from here, Tori," he assured. He looked to his family.

"We're not here by choice. Rather, we are here by force. Years ago, humans and monster fought an epic battle. Not that epic... humans destroyed us, and the survivors were sealed here. Under Mt. Ebott. The only thing that can break the barrier is the power of seven human SOULs. Every monster's SOUL combined could hardly make up one," he explained.

"Me and Chara tried to break it, but... I don't wanna talk about it," Asriel said. Chara nodded, expression grim.

"There's seven of us... you want us to do it?" Mark asked.

"And please, tell me how the heck you expect the band of scrubs we are to break a barrier," Leah said, arms crossed.

"For once, I'm with her. Except for the part where we're a band of scrubs. How can we break a barrier that's kept so many monsters under a mountains for so long?" Jacob asked.

Meredith curled up where she was sitting on the carpet, her face going down on her knees. Anna hugged her, prompting the mute girl to curl into her adoptive sister.

"Guess it overwhelmed her. The idea, I mean," Sean said. He did have a soft spot for Meredith when she needed help.

Frisk stood up in the center of the room. "Guys, they need our help. Mom and Dad helped up. We can repay them in the best way possible, which helps a whole race as well," they said. They went to sit on Toriel's lap. "I'm helping."

Toriel hugged Frisk, her lips brushing against their hair. "Thank you, my child," she said.

"I died last time trying it. Well, I was dead before, but the attempt failed and brought me back to life... eh, I'm in," Chara said, giving Asriel a high-five.

"It can bring you back to life? I'm dead inside, so maybe it'll spark something inside of me. I'm in," Leah said. Even if her reasoning was concerning.

Asgore looked to Sean, Jacob, and Mark. "Boys?" he asked.

The three boys looked at each other, having a coversation of silenced glances and nods. At last, they seemed to have made a decision.

"Count us in!" Sean said.

That left two more—and everyone in the room looked to them. "Anna? Meredith?" Toriel asked gently. "I'm in," Anna said.

After a few moments, Meredith gave a shaky thumbs-up.

Asgore stood up. "Very well, then," he said, his expression one of DETERMINATION.

"Let's go."

 *****As to what I said earlier, there's only one chapter left. I have a good part of it already written, and I know it'll be up soon. In the mean time, since this was the first chapter with everyone in it, tell me who your favorite SOUL child was. That meaning Frisk, Sean, Mark, Jacob, Anna, Meredith, and Leah. Be sure to leave a review on the way out and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

*****Hello, everyone! Well... here we are. Last chapter. I'll say what I want to say in the last note, but for now, let's get on with this chapter. Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara belong to Toby Fox, all SOUL kids belong to me, and let's roll!**

 **Chapter Eighteen: At Long, Long Last (Finale)**

The walk to the barrier was silent. Eleven sets of footsteps were louder than they seemed. The air was thick with the tension.

They reached the throne room sooner than they felt they should've. It was still filled with flowers... some of which, in the center, were stained dully with blood. Months old, but the stain was still there.

Toriel froze in her place. It took a few moments before the other noticed that she had stopped.

Asriel was the first to notice, actually. "Mom? Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. Soon, everyone was looking at Toriel.

"Children, can you please go into the last room and wait for a moment? I need to have a discussion with your father," she said. So, the kids herded into the previous room.

Asgore turned to Toriel once they were alone. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The female of the two motioned to the blood that stained the golden flowers. "Because Chara and Asriel wanted to get through the barrier. What if, when the barrier is broken... the kids face that same fate? And what if we aren't able to save them this time?" she asked. Tears pricked at her eyes.

Asgore hugged her close, which she was glad for. "Tori, it won't happen like that. We'll break the barrier, and every monster will be free," he said. He kissed Toriel's forehead, letting her head rest on his chest.

"Thank you, Gorey. I'm just a silly old lady, I suppose. A silly, worried old lady," she said after pulling away.

"Never change, dear," Asgore said. Toriel kissed him.

"Well," she said, "let's go break the barrier."

XxX

Seven children were new to the barrier. Two were familiar with it, as were their parents.

"Man, this is trippy!" Sean exclaimed once he saw it. "And you say that I look weird," Mark said. "Well, I never took that back," Sean shrugged. "Guys!" Anna urged.

"Listen, you guys. This is the barrier. You gotta bring your SOULs out. You gotta focus and do it," Chara said.

"Isn't that gonna, y'know, kill us?" Jacob asked. Meredith gasped at the thought. She began pulling on her hair in worry.

"Great job, you freaked the stupid one out," Leah grumbled. "Shut it!" Asriel intervened.

Frisk, on the other hand, had listened to Chara. "Like this?" they asked. They held out, with both hands, a glowing red SOUL.

"Yes!" Asriel exclaimed. He turned to the rest of his siblings. "Please, hurry up! Frisk can't live for long without their SOUL in their body!" he urged.

"So they why are we doing it?!" Leah protested. Jacob pushed her down. "Do it before Frisk dies!" he snapped. Leah glowered at him and got up.

So, they all brought forward their SOULs. Meredith's was smaller than the others. _Does size affect it?_ she asked. "You ask me like I know!" Chara snapped.

They all looked to Leah-who hadn't brought her SOUL out.

"Leah," Asgore said sternly, "you have to."

The girl, for once, looked uneasy. "N-no," she said.

"As personal as it is to show a SOUL, you have to. Before-" Toriel stopped speaking when she heard something. Frisk had collapse, their SOUL floating over them. "Before that happens!" Asriel cried.

"I've seen my SOUL, okay?! I got sent to the nut house because I kept talking about how SOULs could be seen and could come out of your body! And while I was there, mine was cracked! And if you wanna see it, then I might as well FINISH THE JOB!" Leah yelled. She summoned her SOUL and threw it to the ground.

However, it was caught.

By Meredith.

The younger girl laid there for a moment on the ground, her smaller SOUL in one hand, her adoptive sister's in the other.

Leah stared, taking back her SOUL. "What the-I've treated you terribly!" she pointed out.

Meredith stood up, still a bit shaky. "No one deserves to die," she whispered.

"And with that, all hell has broken loose," Sean said. "Shut up!" Mark said.

Asgore pounded the bottom of his trident on the ground. "Let's break the barrier," he said.

Every child extended their SOUL (Frisk's went automatically) to be used. The SOULs gathered in a circle and seemed to join as one entity. A bright whiteness consumed the area. Everyone had to look away and shut their eyes.

When the darkness faded, every child felt a warmth in their chest-the warmth of a SOUL's return. At last, they opened their eyes. And before them was the exit to the rest of the world.

Frisk stood up, a bit woozy. "What happened?" they asked. They were engulfed in a hug by Asriel.

"The barrier was broken!" he exclaimed. He turned to his parents. "I've never seen the sunlight when I wasn't trying to be murdered! Come on, come on!" he urged. He ran off, followed by the other kids.

Anna turned to Asgore and Toriel, shifting her weight between her crutches. "Mind staying at my pace?" she asked.

Asgore lifted her to where she could sit on his shoulders. "This is a far better idea," he said.

Toriel smiled. "Oh my goodness."

XxX

When everyone left the Underground, they sat at the edge of the abyss. They looked out at the sunset before them. Asgore and Toriel sat next to each other, paws over each other's. This was a rare moment.

Chara, Asriel, Jacob, Mark, Sean, Leah, Anna, Meredith, and Frisk were young and exceptionally diverse. They all came from different background and had different stories to tell. But they were commonly fighting, or at least at odds with each other. Now, they were peaceful.

They watched the sun as it set, content smiles across nine different faces-eleven, counting their proud parents. Toriel leaned her head to rest her head on Asgore's shoulder.

They were a family of SOULs, and that, they would forever be.

 **The End**

 *****And there you have it. Thanks to all of the supporters who stuck to me despite my procrastination and writer's block, and a HUGE-MEGA thanks to dream1990, who gave me this idea in the first place. I wouldn't be sitting here, typing this up, without Dream's (is that an okay nickname?) idea, or without the support of everyone else.**

 **Well, I gotta hit the shower. Be sure to leave a review on the way out and I'll see you all in the next one! Bye!**


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